Fastener



March 15, 1932. R, s W|LL|AMS 1,849,700

FASTENER Filed Dec, 22. 1950 31a/vanto@ aucun/34 Patented Mar. 15, 1932 RALPH S. WILLIAMS, OF GOLETA, CALIFORNIA A,EAstrnivnn Application med December 22, 1930. #serial No; 503,879.

This'invention relates to Jfasteners of the type employed", for'example, for latching gate'sand doors in openor closed position.

This fastener 1s ofthetype in which a ring i? constitutesthe latch bolt or member, and an object of this invention is to insure against release of the fastener by cattle or other animalsthat may have access to the fastener.

:Another important Object issimplicity of L9 construction combined with strength.

A Otherobjects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description. i Theaccompanying drawings illustrate the inversion.jV l j Figure 1` is a side elevation of a fastener constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention, the case being shown in section 'and one of the rings being shown retracted by a locking bar, which is indicated in dotted lines. j v

\ Figure 2 isa view similar to Figure y1, eX- cepting that both ringsare shown in their latching-position's and-the. locking bar between said rings. Broken lines indicate other positions of one of the rings and its actuating lever.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the irregular line indicated by 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a modified form of the invention.

First describing the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, there is provided a relatively thin case 6 which may be made of sheet metal or other suitable material. The case 6, in this instance, comprises side walls 7, end walls 8, and a cover member 9. The cover member 9 is provided centrally thereof with an opening l0. The bottom of the case is open as indicated at 11 and the opening 11 extends the length and breadth of the case.

Any suitable means may be provided for securing Ithe case to its support and, in this instance, bolt holes are shown at 12 in the sides of the case for the reception of bolts, not shown. A tubular spacer 71 is provided for the center bolt to prevent the side walls of the case from collapsing when said bolt is tightened. Though it is preferable to secure the case to a stationary member as, for

the aXisof the the other pin 15.

example7 oneof the gate posts, it is immaterialfwhether the case be placed on the post or on the gate. Assuming that the case-is mounted on the gate post, thel gate will then be provided with a locking ba'r 13 of any suitable construction,` said bar being mounted on the gate so as to project from the vertical Jfree edge of said gate.

j Tiltably mounted within the' case 6 is an operating lever 14 providednear its opposite ends with pins 15 from which are adapted to hang rings 16 that constitute the latch bolts of the fasteners. In this instance, the rings 16 lie in a commonplane and they are interposed between one of the side walls 7 and a nat plate17 ofthe lever 14. The plate 17 is connected Aat its ytop by a horizontal web 18 to aV handle 19 j that projects upwardly through the opening 10. The lever 14 thus comprises the handle.19the web 18 and the plate 17.

Since the handle 19'projects upwardly, it is not 'readily accessible tohorses and cattle that may be conlined within an enclosure to which the gate or` door. may give access, and thus operation of the lever 14 by horses and cattleis practically impossible.

The pins 15 kare' liXed and project through the holes 20 in the plate 17 and said pins are longer than the thickness ofthe plate 17 of the `lever114 sothat'the ends of vthe pins 15 project beyond the opposite faces of theplate 417 into guide slots 21 formed in the casewalls 7. The slots 21 maybe arcuate, as shown, 1n

lorder that when'the lever is rocked one ofthe "l pins will move in an arcuate path around The lever 14 will rock in opposite directions so as to raise either of the pins 15.

y The combined 'thickness of one of the rings `16 and of the plate`17 is but slightly less than the kdistance between the case walls 7 so that said case walls function to guide the lever and rings. l A i The radius of each of the rings is slightly less than the distance fromthe axis of the associated pin 15 to the adjacent inner'face of the case wall 8 when said pin 15 is at the lower end of the slot 21 in which it movesso that any pressure coming against either ring,

d ii.-

tending to push said ring outwardly, will thus cause said ring to engage the adjacent end wall 8 of the case, which end wall thus functions as au abutment to limit outward movement of the ring, while the pin limits downward movement of said ring.

It is to be noted that the rings are suspended from the pins 15 so that when said pins are at the lower ends of the slots 21 approximately two-thirds of each ring will project below the bottom of the case. This is important as considerable sagging of the gate on its hinges may occur without causing the locking bar 13 to drop to a level that would necessitate lowering of the case on the gate post for proper latching.

lhe construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing and, briefly stated, the operation is as follows: Assuming that the rings 16 are in their lowered positions, as in solid lines in Figure 2, and that the gate is open, swinging shut ot' the gate will cause the locking bar 13 to engage and retract one of the rings 16 as shown in solid lines in the right hand portion of Figure 1 where the elevated ring is shown in al position that it occupies before being fully retracted. As the locking bar moves toward the left in Figure 1, the right hand ring is raised still further by the locking bar so as to permit the locking bar to pass into the space below the middle portion of the case. As soon as the locking bar 13 passes by the right hand ring said ring drops and thus the locking bar is held against lateral motion in opposite directions by the rings. It will be readily seen that the locking bar may swing into latching position from either direction.

To release the locking bar so that the gate may be swung open, the handle 19 will be urged to the right or left in Figure 2 so as to retract either the left hand ring or the right hand ring. Assuming that it is desired to open the gate to the right in Figure 2, the handle 19 will be moved to the left until the lever and the right hand ring are in the positions shown in broken lines in Figure 2. It will be seen that the right hand ring is then retracted wholly within the case so that the locking bar 13 can move laterally to the right without striking the retracted ring.

It will be noted that the slots 21 permit of retractive movement of the rings, when the locking bar engages said rings, without such movement being imparted to the lever 14 which, accordin ly, remains stationary, as clearly shown in igure 1.

Now describing the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4, the elements that functionally correspond with those hereinbefore described are indicated by the same reference characters with the addition of the suIiX a. The main difference in construction of this form over the previously described form is that there is but one ring 16a and pin 15 and, whereas the lever 14 has a movable fulcrum 15, the fulcrum pin 23 of the lever 14a is stationary, the ends of the pin 23 projecting into the case side walls 7. The operation of this form of the invention will be readily understood from the description above of the first described form of the invention.

I claim:

1. A fastener comprising a case provided with openings in its top and bottom and with slots in its side walls, a lever provided with transversely extending pins near its opposite ends and projecting into the slots, said pins acting alternately as fulcrums for Jthe lever when the lever is rocked in opposite directions, the lever provided with a handle projecting upwardly through the top opening, and rings loosely hung on the pins, the end walls of the case limiting movement of the rings away from each other.

2. A fastener comprising a case provided with openings in its top and bottom and with slots in its side walls, a lever provided with a plate and with pins projecting through the plate near the ends of said plate and projecting into the slots in the side walls, the pins acting alternately as fulcrums for the lever when the lever is rocked in opposite directions, the lever provided with a handle projecting upwardly through the top opening, and rings loosely hung on the pins, the end walls of the case limiting movement of the rings away from each other.

Signed at Santa Barbara, California, this 12th day of December, 1930.

RALPH S. VILLIAMS. 

